Picking up a Habit
by Jakei-sama
Summary: Vegeta, wanting to know what the whole deal is with cigarettes, decides to go ahead and try smoking. Does the feeling really benefit him or does the habit just hold him back? (One-Shot)


A hot, steamy shower—just how he liked it.

Nearly every single muscle in Vegeta's body ached and throbbed. His calves, biceps and chest would twitch every 15 or 30 seconds after he finished his most recent personal training session in the gravity chamber which was placed in a giant room inside Capsule Corporation, which had dozens of rooms—so many that entire families could enter and live there an extended period of time with no worries about having their own private space invaded.

The Saiyan let out a deep breath as the warm water streaked down his hardened body, washing away all the soap that soaked onto him.

With another twitch of his bicep, Vegeta scoffed.

_I'm telling you, Vegeta. Cold showers actually help with that but you never listen, do you?_

"Always telling me what to do. Thinks she's better than me."

But when wasn't Bulma wrong? The only thing Vegeta was far more advanced than Bulma at was the art of combat, from its very fundamental concept all to the complexities that came along with it. Regardless of that matter, he didn't like when anyone came off to him as remotely condescending. But for some reason, he always let that slide with her. If Kakarot were to ever try to down him in anyway, the two would more than likely start throwing hands on sight.

"What is that woman up to, anyway?"

* * *

"Welp…looks like it's back to formula." Dr. Briefs threw down a stack of papers, all of which softly swayed back and forth prior to landing on the floor. He then placed his elbow on the counter of which he had been working by and started to rub his temple, letting out an exasperated sigh. He looked over to his daughter. "Got a light?"

Bulma stood up onto her feet, removing the welding mask she had to protect her face while she tinkered with a machine that she was refining. "You ran out of smokes already?"

"Yeah."

"You just had five packs on you!" Bulma slapped her thighs. She grabbed half a pack of cigs out of her jean pocket and showed another unopened pack in her lab coat pocket. "I've had these since half a week ago. I may be a smoker myself but at least I know how to preserve."

"Well, you haven't been smoking nearly as long as I have, darling." He held his hand out. "Do you mind?"

Bulma shook her head and smacked her lips. If she were to continue smoking, would she really finish five entire packs in a single day? If she did that, then she really would start to wrinkle up, which could ultimately make her most recent wish of being five years younger totally pointless.

"Here. Take mine—both of them." She tossed both of the packs over to her father.

Dr. Briefs caught both of them, slid one into his pocket, opened the other one and flipped a cig into his mouth. By the time said cigarette was on his lips, it had already been lit. "Thanks, honey."

Bulma removed her welding mask and placed it on the counter prior to removing her lab coat. "Since you want to smoke off more than a chimney, I guess I'll go over to the store and buy us entire cartons."

"Hey, that doesn't sound like a bad idea!" Dr. Briefs' eyes motioned over to the cat that had been lying on his shoulder since this morning. "Ain't that right, Tama?"

_MEOW!_

"Even Tama agrees."

"Cats don't smoke, dad."

Dr. Briefs just chuckled. "That's how I know you don't spend enough time with me. You just don't know the things Tama and I get into when we're alone."

Bulma's face crinkled at the very thought of her father and their house cat smoking at the same time. It's not like it wasn't possible since Tama was a rather very intelligent cat but still, the concept in itself was just ludicrous to Bulma. "Whatever you say. I'm heading out."

"Alright, be back soon! I'll probably catch a heart attack if I don't have something to smoke within the next 15 minutes."

"I'll take an hour if need be," Bulma shot back smugly before exiting the room. Once the automatic doors shut, Bulma checked her pant pocket to make sure that she had a mobile capsule inside. "Hmp! If he can't at least get there and control himself for fifteen minutes, then maybe he shouldn't get any today at all."

"He control what for what and who?"

Bulma knew it was Vegeta before she even looked up to see who had spoke. Her husband stood there wearing sweatpants and a muscle shirt, with a fresh fragrance that would just make her feel like pouncing on him if they were in a private area. "Well, look who just got out the shower."

Vegeta squirted some water into his mouth from the squeeze bottle that he drunk out of and proceeded to fold his arms. "What do you plan on doing?"

"I'm going out to the store," Bulma answered. "You wanna come along?"

Seeing that he had absolutely nothing better to do but watch television and eat for the rest of the day, he figured why not. "Sure," he answered with a shrug of the shoulders. "Let's go."

_Not a first, but definitely a surprise! Vegeta rarely ever wants to go anywhere with anybody. Maybe he's in an extra good mood today.._

"Alright, then!" Just as Bulma was going to make a step forward, she came to a stop. Vegeta stared at her weirdly as her eyes looked him up and down. Not only did he wear sweatpants and a muscle shirt but he also had on outdated sneakers as well, which had a few holes in them here and there. "But can you at least get a change of shoes? You can't go out in public looking like a hobo, Vegeta."

"Why in the hell should I care what I look like when I go outside?" He asked. "Will I hurt somebody's feelings?"

"Well, no...but you dress like you don't care."

"Because I don't," he replied curtly. "Besides, you aren't one to speak. Your hair's a mess and you're sweating with a dirty tank top and some old jeans."

"I was working on something, Vegeta. You just got out the shower."

"Okay, and?"

Bulma shook her head and sighed as she proceeded to walk past her husband. "Either you're coming or you're not. I'm not going to wait on you."

Vegeta smacked his lips.

* * *

Vegeta didn't see the point in riding cars if he could just fly and get to their wanted destination and be back home in the span of one minute or less. Bulma preached on about acting normal but nothing about him or her was normal so why try to be something they were not?

Regardless, he didn't speak on it and just went with the water. The Saiyan sat in the passenger side of their red cadillac convertible with his arm resting out the car window as the heat beamed on him and his wife. They were behind a few cars waiting at a red light. For the life of him he wondered why they had passed up the store that Bulma normally went to.

"I thought you said you was going to the store," Vegeta spoke up.

"I am," Bulma told him. "But first we're going to order a special bagel, come back to the store near home, get my cigarettes, then go back to retrieve the bagel and then head back home."

"Why not just get those stupid sticks on the way there and just wait, then come home?"

"By the time I figured that out, we were already by the light, Vegeta." Seeing the cars ahead of them moving now that the light was green, Bulma moved her foot from the break over to the gas pedal. "So we're just going to go this route."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "What's the point of having those things anyway?"

"Huh?" Bulma glanced at her husband before putting her eyes back on the road. "Cigarettes?"

"Yeah, those. I hear on television that those things cause some kind of disease—basically kill you sooner than needed."

"Well, whenever I get a headache or when I feel stressed out, a cigarette keeps me calm and collected. I can carry on about my business with no worries." Bulma turned on her signal prior to turning the car right and keeping straight. "Besides, with Trunks constantly nagging me and Bra always needing something every fifteen minutes, I can barely have time for myself. It's a lot harder to explain than you'd think, Vegeta. You'd have to be a smoker to understand what I mean and where I'm coming from."

Vegeta just looked over to his right as they came across another red light. On the side of them, a group of people in a big pick up truck stopped by with music blaring, all seeming as if they were having a good time. Once Vegeta made eye-contact with the driver, said individual revved his engine before the light became green and peeled off.

"It's nice to know that you care though," Bulma added, rubbing her husband's left arm.

"Hmph!"

* * *

"We just came here for a god damn bagel," Bulma moaned, extremely aggravated.

Vegeta, like Bulma, was being worked on his last nerve as well. Typically, whenever he went into public, people were in their own little worlds, having their fun with the people that they happened to be accompanied with for the time being. For the first time since cohabitating on Earth, Vegeta was witnessing an unwanted outburst from someone who just so happened to be shorter than even himself—miraculously—as they waited in line.

"Why is it okay for women to say _oh you're five feet _on dating sites!? You should be dead!" The short men threw a paper on the ground in anger. "That's okay!?"

The more and more he talked, the higher his tone of voice started to get. The guy who could pass for a midget was talking to a young female, who found his outburst amusing yet puerile as well. Bulma, while impatient, was now starting to get a little kick out of this.

"At least there's some form of entertainment around here other than television," she mumbled.

"Who told you that?" the woman arguing asked him. "Nobody even told you that!"

"Women in general have said that on dating sites!" he boomed. "You think I'm making that shit up?" He then pointed to his left, just moving his arms and body around in instinctive frustration. "Everywhere I go I get the same fucking smirk—with the biting lip!"

"Like this?" Bulma asked, biting her lips with a lecherous grin plastered over his face.

"YES!" he shouted. "Like that, just like that!" Not realizing that Bulma had company with her, he approached the woman fearlessly, still speaking loudly. "Every single god damn bitch I know who feels themselves to be above me makes that SAME EXACT FACE! It's sickening!"

"Back off," Vegeta told the man.

He turned his face to look over Vegeta. On an average day, he'd have to move his head all the way up solely to look into the eyes of another person. However, with Vegeta, it was somewhat different. While the Saiyan was taller than him, it wasn't by much. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"That's my husband," Bulma told informed him.

"Oh, good for him, good for him!" He backed up and started clapping. "This short guy managed to find the love of his life! Good for him." He then stopped clapping. "But guess what, the only reason someone like her would get together with you is because of your money and good looks!"

"He's not even the money maker in the family," Bulma corrected him. Did this guy even know who she was? Her face was plastered all over the damn city!

_This idiot must be new to town. _

"And I wouldn't want me either if I looked fat and out of shape," Vegeta shot back. "Now get the hell out of here before I make you!"

"Oh, yeah? Then attack me!" He pushed Vegeta in the chest. "C'mon!" If Vegeta was a foot taller he probably wouldn't have tested him like that but since he was short, too, he figured that it was mostly fair game.

Before Vegeta could even get there and sock this man in the face, Bulma stepped directly in front of him. Vegeta's fist froze mere centimeters before it could come into contact with his wife. He stopped at the last moment.

"Look, Vegeta, let's just go back to the store and get what I wanted to in the first place, okay?"

Vegeta had literal murder in his eyes. All his life, nobody under him ever dared to test him and expected to live to tell the tale. The Saiyan warrior, under any other circumstance, would have killed him on sight, uncaring of the reaction of those surrounding him. Hell, some even recognized him back from the tournament, which was why some scurried out the building in the first place once he spoke up. This balding midget didn't know who he was and that could get him killed. He had to hold himself back and boy, did it take a lot of willpower.

Before he even moved, the guy who was causing a ruckus, had been tackled down by some bystander in a blue shirt. Quite frankly, the assaulter grew tired of this scene and only wanted to get his damn bagel so that he could go back home. Seeing the guy getting pushed down and punched on helped Vegeta come a bit at ease. With a smile on his face, the Saiyan turned around and walked back over to the car.

Bulma let out a big sigh, relieved that her husband didn't take action. If anything were to happen, it'd all come directly back to her, which would be all the incentive for someone to file a lawsuit. "Alright, let's go. Maybe the guy won't be here once we get back."

"That fool should just be happy I didn't send him through the roof and into the nearest hospital...literally."

* * *

As they were in the car after having retrieved a multitude of entire cartons of cigarettes, Bulma was driving her way back to the bagel shop. It had been a good ten minutes since they left so she figured that the main distraction that was once over there wouldn't be there anymore.

"And you wonder why I smoke whenever I get agitated! Helps me calm down and think clearly."

"Does it, really?" Vegeta asked her.

"Yep! Smoking is like my own form of meditation."

Vegeta grinned. If he knew one person that loved to meditate, it sure as hell was Kakarot. Unlike his rival, Vegeta didn't necessarily like remaining stationary for extended periods of time unless he was trying to really push himself in a different way. He did that more than enough in the past back when he worked under Freeza and after being beaten by the cyborgs.

_So smoking those sticks could be a nice alternative…_

Unbeknownst to Bulma, Vegeta was interpreting the words that came out of her mouth differently. The daughter of Dr. Briefs was more so speaking on metaphorical terms, albeit Vegeta was the one to take it literally.

"Give me one of those sticks, then."

"Whoah!" Bulma's head jerked over to Vegeta. "Are you serious?"

Vegeta, with his hand out, quirked his brow. "Why would I be joking? If I ask for something, then I expect it to be given to me."

"While there aren't always guarantees in life Vegeta…" Bulma pressed her lap at the bottom of the steering wheel to maintain control of the wheel as she opened one of the new packs she bought. "...I'm your wife so you should expect more things to be given to you from me than just any other person."

"Hm. Of course." Vegeta looked over the white stick with a colored filter at the top. He's seen the appearance of it many times but never bothered to look at it up close. "I'm assuming the stuff inside it is what makes you feel at ease."

"Yeah, that's the tobacco. That's where you get your buzz from."

"Hm." Vegeta put the cig up to his lip.

"Need a light?"

Vegeta shook his head. "Uh-uh." He raised his finger up to the cigarette and utilized energy manipulation to light it up. Doing so for just a split second was all he needed. The Saiyan sucked on it, burning the tobacco off. Afterward, he just blew it out.

Bulma caught how the smoke just puffed out of Vegeta's mouth and she couldn't help herself. While controlling the car, the woman started to laugh hysterically. Vegeta looked at her, bewildered as to what she found to be so humorous.

_What in the hell did I miss?_

"What's so funny?"

Bulma suppressed any further laughter and did her best to speak coherently. After turning the wheel and parking in a space near the bagel shop, she turned off the ignition and let out a sigh. "Vegeta, that's not how you smoke."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You can't just suck on it and blow it out. You have to inhale. Like this: SWOOH!"

"Hmm…" Vegeta looked briefly at the lit cig and then back to his wife. "So smoke as if I'm breathing."

"Pretty much."

"So why is it called smoking if I'm just breathing with a stick in my mouth? Shouldn't it just be called a breathing stick?"

Bulma broke out laughing yet again. Vegeta's serious ignorance was the funniest part about him. Vegeta grew to learn that whenever Bulma laughed out loud like this, then it was something that he ignorantly did or said. He hated it at first but now he can only tolerate and learn from it.

"You're so cute and funny when you ask naive questions." Bulma exited the car. "Wait here and I'll just go get a normal bagel. Won't be long."

Once Bulma had walked over into the bagel shop, Vegeta brought the cigarette back to his mouth and puffed it before he inhaled. As he felt the smoke entering his throat and lungs, Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise. Unable to help himself, the Saiyan began to cough badly, smoke exiting his mouth every time that he did cough.

"W-What the hell?"

While it made him uncomfortable initially, maybe his body had to get used to this as well. The third time that Vegeta puffed on it, he made sure to not do so just as hard. He inhaled and immediately exhaled, watching all the smoke fly out his mouth in a briskly fashion.

Knowing that it was a success, Vegeta paused. He wasn't instantly aware but the buzz started to hit and he laid back a bit. After his fourth hit, Vegeta moved the chair to set back even more so that he could lie down as much as possibly could while on the passenger side of the car.

His body felt at ease and things just seemed…

"Clearer," Vegeta said with a little smile.

"Oh, well look who decided to show on back up!"

The same guy that caused a scene over at this same bagel shop was now standing just above the car door, looking down at Vegeta in the eyes. The Saiyan noticed he had a black eye, perhaps from his most recent altercation in there.

"You get beat up and still come around looking for fights?" Vegeta chuckled. If not for this new _feeling_, Vegeta would have a high tone with an edge to his voice. However, now, he spoke calmly, which was all the more chilling. Here he lied down as if this guy didn't pose any threat to him—like a harmless puppy. Vegeta continued to shake his head as he smoked on the cigarette.

"You will rue the day, I swear on my motha's life!" He stormed off.

Vegeta flicked the ashes out of the car and continued to puff on the half that remained.

"Why, thank you!" Bulma said as she walked out the door that someone held for her. As soon as she stepped foot outside, she saw the same guy from before walking away from her car angrily as Vegeta was chilling as if nothing happened. Knowing something did indeed happen, she decided to ask Vegeta what was up.

Subsequent to getting in the car and setting the bag full of bagels down in the backseat, she turned to her husband. "What was that all about?"

"That clown tried to start a fight after already getting his ass handed to," Vegeta answered her.

She looked over to him and then back to Vegeta. How come Vegeta didn't fight him then? Usually, he'd be ready to get down if necessary unless she was there to intervene but here left to his own devices, her husband didn't do as much as make a single move. "So, why didn't you beat him up?"

"Not worth my time," Vegeta told her. He flicked the cig out the car and put his hand out once more. "Another one, please."

Realizing just what it was, Bulma flashed a quick grin. She didn't expect the cigarettes to have this kind of effect on him but she appreciated that Vegeta felt more lax. "Anything you want, your highness!"

* * *

For some weeks now, Vegeta had gotten very used to smoking, going up to whole packs in one entire day. He felt as if his training was very much more fluid and he didn't even bother to work himself constantly 24/7 when he knew that he had a little something to put him at ease after a session. One day of training and the next would be his _resting _period. And during these resting periods he'd smoke entire cartons! His tolerance developed at a far quicker rate than any average person's would.

On Beerus' homeworld, Vegeta and his rival were across from one another on a level fighting field on perfectly cut blue grass that lied under the godly skies. The Destroyer of Worlds was lying on top a rock from afar, seated in a reclining chair. "Here's to another episode of these two coming out in a tie." He took a sip out of his ice cream fruit smoothie.

Whis tapped a fork against his chin, eyes fixated on the shorter Saiyan. There was something about Vegeta-his attitude to be exact. "Hm...I think this will be more interesting than you think."

"Well let's see it, then!" Beerus shouted at Goku and Vegeta.

Goku turned his head over to Beerus and waved with a laugh. "My bad, we were just talkin'!"

"Hmph!" Vegeta crouched down into his battle stance and let out a brief grunt, powering up to the basic form of Super Saiyan. He dared not give Kakarot a warning and hopped off his back foot.

Son Goku was taken by surprise with a hard hook to the chin. He involuntarily came off his feet and went flying for hundreds of miles per hour just above land. As he flew back, Goku's eyes were on Vegeta, who wasn't rendering him any room for proper preparation. Goku flipped upside down while he continued to soar and dug his nails into the grass to slow down the velocity of which he was sent. By the time he touched back down onto his feet, Vegeta was already behind him. "YA!" Goku went sliding through the ground thanks to a kick to the back of the head.

Goku got up, pouting. "Not cool, Vegeta! I wasn't even ready yet and you know it!"

"That's why you don't turn your head in combat!" Vegeta rushed in yet again.

"Oh yeah?" Goku clenched his fists and jerked up. "YAH!" Like Vegeta, his hair changed color, as well as the irises of his eyes.

**BAM!**

The shockwave that resonated through the heavens of Beerus' homeworld from Vegeta's fist to Goku's forearm shook the entire planet. Beerus and Whis, while chilling, remained undeterred. As for the oracle fish, said animal was losing its balance, even while in a secure bowl of water.

After blocking Vegeta's punch, Goku hopped away and leaned back to avoid the oncoming foot to the face. He rose back up and tried for an upward kick, which Vegeta prevented by grabbing the Saiyan's ankle and tossing him away. Goku flipped over and planted his feet into the ground to maintain control but of course, Vegeta was there to render him a brutal kick dead center in the chest.

Goku's back came crashing in and out of a big rock from afar but he made sure to keep his eyes open the entire time, despite the pain that his rival caused. Goku moved his head down to his stomach as much as he could, flexing his neck even. As he did this, he also raised his legs and knees. Doing so helped him out in the end as he felt Vegeta trying to make another attack from behind but ultimately missed. Once he was passed Vegeta from behind, Goku fired off an energy attack aimed for Vegeta's back.

Vegeta swiftly turned around to deflect the ki attack and immediately followed up with one of his own. Goku swatted that away but got caught with a nice one to the gut and a following punch to the chin, which sent him soaring up into the clouds.

Usually at this point, Vegeta would go directly for Goku and make an attempt at a punch or kick. However, here was the trick: Goku would usually retaliate intelligently by utilizing an afterimage and getting the best of him right after. Here, Vegeta instinctually fired off a ki attack. Once he saw the blast go directly through Goku as if he was a hologram, Vegeta grinned. "No surprise there. RAH!" Kicking it up a notch, he ascended to Super Saiyan 2.

He turned around, blocking a kick from Goku and made an attempt at a punch to the face. Goku braced himself beforehand and absorbed the impactful strike. He grabbed onto Vegeta's wrist and used this small time he had as an opportunity to ascend as well, matching up to Vegeta with Super Saiyan 2.

"Skipping the warm-up, are we?" Goku asked.

Vegeta pulled back his hand from Goku and used the other to clock Son in the face. He followed with a knee but Goku blocked using his own and elbowed Vegeta across the face. Said Saiyan grabbed his rival's arm, reeled him in, and gave his own brutal response—a shot to the liver. He proceeded to grapple Goku's arm and go into a downward motion, tossing him right back down.

Goku, as he soared down head first toward the ground, stretched out one hand as he had two fingers on his glabella—the space between the eyebrows. He let out a quick shout, transcending to Super Saiyan 3 prior to vanishing immediately out of sight.

Vegeta knew what was up and readied himself for this by making an attempt to power up. Before he had the chance to do so Goku appeared right before him and blasted him away with little to no difficulty. Now it was Vegeta that was on the other side of the fence. Goku followed on after him, rendering his rival a quick yet devastating combo of wing chun punches to the face and a few quick jabs to follow before kicking Vegeta in the sternum.

The Saiyan Prince recovered before he could see himself have an embarrassing landing on the ground. He touched down on his feet with so much force that the rocks underneath the ground within his vicinity pushed up, shaking the planet a bit more. Goku was right there yet again thanks to his instantaneous movement. Vegeta crashed through a couple boulders here and there thanks to getting struck yet again.

Before he could go through the very next one which Goku hid behind, Vegeta took in a calm and deep breath. Slowly, the golden color that his hair possessed began to be overridden by a bright and red color. As he changed yet again, a new surge of power overcame him. Once Vegeta completed his transformation, he grinned.

Vegeta, with perfect movement, placed himself upside down and ascended a bit higher. As he flew just over the rock that Goku hid behind, he locked eyes with his rival before pushing his hand forth. Goku was knocked against the giant piece of material due to a kiai push. With his back against the wall, Vegeta came forth and wrecked his body with a concoction of punches, kicks, jabs, elbows and headbutts. By the time he was done beating on him like a punching bag, he grabbed Goku by the shirt and punched him right through the rock.

Now shirtless, Goku was quick to take the form of a Super Saiyan God as well before he jumped back into battle.

Vegeta span around Goku mid-air, elbowed Son in the back, maneuvered himself in front of Goku yet again, then grabbed him by the face so that he could knee him in the chin. Goku removed Vegeta's hands, rendered him a painful shove in the chest and kicked him in the kidney.

Vegeta, going with the motion, executed a cartwheel so that he could bounce back once his feet touched land. After he regained his balance, he sent hundreds of energy attacks Goku's way at point blank range.

Son Goku raised his arms to defend himself from the oncoming blasts. Making an attempt to escape this close would only be for Goku to dig himself into a potential hole in the midst of battle. He couldn't have that. And even while being methodical, he made an error.

By the time Goku realized that Vegeta was intentionally missing him on purpose despite shooting at such close range, it was too late. Vegeta rendered him a heavy blow to the spine. Goku was grabbed by the shoulder, turned around, and decked right in the jaw. He was struck so hard that he felt as if his bones were on the verge of breaking.

Instead of going there, Vegeta stood upright, taking in slow paced breaths. "The amount of times you've hit me compared to the times I've hit you make you appear like an amateur, Kakarot. What's the matter?"

"That is a good question," Beerus mumbled to himself. "What is the matter? These two are evenly matched in strength again, yet Vegeta has an edge over Goku. I don't get it."

Whis just smiled. He realized what it was just mere seconds after the two started fighting. Hell, he had a feeling of what could be up with Vegeta even BEFORE they initiated their battle. "Well, asides from the early jump Vegeta got earlier on in, it should be noted that he's fighting in a much less tense state. Sure, Vegeta will always have that edge to him but he's not nearly as uptight in battle. We Goku gets a little _too _comfortable most the time and that's why he's usually always got it over Vegeta."

"Hm." Beerus scratched his ears. "But Vegeta has a better balance of tensity and remiss. Makes sense."

"Yep." But for the life of Whis, he couldn't figure out what it was that would inspire Vegeta to be at such ease.

Goku got up and dusted himself off. "Man…" he started to bounce up and down as he craned his neck, stretching his body a bit more. "You really came in heavy, Vegeta. Gotta say, I wasn't expecting that."

"Hm?" Vegeta's brow quirked.

"You're usually a little slower, I mean—like it takes you _just a little bit _to get into the groove of things." Goku showed his index and thumb finger just inches apart merely to emphasize his point. "What have you been doing to up your game?"

Vegeta smiled. "I've been meditating...a lot."

"Oh, that's great to hear!" Goku stretched out his legs a bit more. "It' about time you've picked up that practice more!" He then got into his battle stance. "But as easy as things are coming for you right now, I didn't expect you to be sweating so much. The real fight is just about to start, hehe."

Goku's hair and eyes turned from red to dark blue. Instead of letting his energy flow out freely, Goku intentionally kept his ki inside his body, making it seem like he didn't have any visible aura at all. This way, he would be able to bring out the full potential of Super Saiyan Blue.

Vegeta did so as well and beckoned Goku to come at him. "It's just stressful on how bad I'm about to embarrass you. You're a reflection of me, Kakarot, so beating your ass into the ground still makes me look bad."

"Good one!" Goku shot over to Vegeta and slowly cocked his leg back. "You should become…" he came forth with his leg. "A COMEDIAN!"

Goku's kick hit Vegeta's arm with such force that the two fell below ground level, descending down into a crater. The two didn't break eye-contact for even a single second. Every movement was vital to the victor of this battle. Vegeta slightly moved his back foot, letting Goku in some more.

_Took the bait._

Vegeta maneuvered behind Goku and swept him from behind. Son pushed himself back up and did a front-flip as he brought himself higher up. Subsequent to landing on Vegeta's shoulders with his legs wrapped around his neck, Goku rendered Vegeta four quick jabs to the face.

Vegeta moved his hands to Goku's sides and grabbed at his waist tightly. Goku's eyes nearly popped out in pain as Vegeta put all his effort into digging his nails into the very flesh of his body. With a grip now established, Vegeta came down and slammed Goku directly onto his back.

After pushing himself up, Vegeta proceeded to grab Goku by the ankle and threw him upward. Goku stopped just after going a few hundred feet into the sky and used instantaneous movement yet again. Vegeta was caught by surprise and received a few hits to the face.

He blocked a kick but was hit by a nice elbow to the chin and had his feet stomped on. Just for closing his eyes, Goku got him good by clapping both of his ears prior to headbutting him so hard that Vegeta's back went crashing into the walls of the giant crater that they created in the midst of their fight.

Though he made an effort to get right back up, Vegeta just laid back, breathing heavily. His mouth was so wide as he inhaled that it seemed like he was going to try to suck the entire planet up.

"Okay, Moro Jr, you can stop now," Goku joked. Seeing that Vegeta reverted back to his base form, Goku did so as well.

"N-No…huff, puff." Vegeta tried to raise his head back up. "It's not...pant, over...pant...yet."

"Looks like it to me, bud." Goku then frowned. "And it was gettin' real good, too! Why'd you have to tease me like that, Vegeta!?"

Vegeta growled. "I wasn't...teasing you...idiot." Slowly, he got back on his feet. Goku offered his hand to help out but Vegeta just smacked it away, as expected. "I don't need your...help to get up, Kakarot. I'm not the elderly."

"Hehe, well you're certainly out of breath like an elderly person out of shape." Goku then rubbed his chin with a look of confusion on his face. "Speaking of which, how come you're this much better but out of shape?"

Vegeta shook his head. "I don't know."

"What an anticlimactic fight!" Beerus huffed. Angry that the fight couldn't go on for at least an hour, the cat got off his chair and glided over to both Saiyans with his sharp teeth showing. "I demand a rematch right now!"

"I'm not dealing with this," Vegeta mumbled. He then nudged Goku on the shoulder. "Take me home."

"You read my mind." Goku nodded at Beerus before he zipped out of sight by using his favorite technique.

In a flash, the two had relocated back to Earth, just before the building of Capsule Corporation. "And...we're here."

"Hey, you guys are back!"

Trunks and Goten came running to their fathers, excited to see them back home. On their day off school, Trunks and Goten had both been spending the entire day outside, playing with their fellow students even. They had a multitude of sports games set up, from football to baseball to hacky sack.

"Sup, guys!" Goku greeted. Some of the kids in the background all saw two big muscly men with ripped clothes and blood all over them. Their first reaction was to scream and run. And that's exactly what they did. This left Goku looking bewildered. "Uh…?" He looked back to Goten, Trunks, and Vegeta. "What did I do?"

"You're ugly," Vegeta joked.

"Am not!" Goku shot back.

"Say," Trunks started, "how come you two are back here so early anyway? You usually take forever until you're back home."

"The fight kind of ended early," Goku answered.

Trunks was going to ask _who won _but he noticed that Vegeta fidgeted a little bit with his arms folded. It became apparent that the fight ended in a manner in which did not please his father. In other words, Vegeta lost.

"So who won?" Goten asked.

"Kakarot did." Vegeta, deciding to quickly change the subject, spoke to his son. "Trunks, when are you going to actually start training instead of playing around? I can feel you growing softer and softer every time I wake up."

"Hey, man, Goten and I just trained yesterday!" Trunks defended.

"Hmph!" Vegeta crossed his arms. "I need a cigarette."

Hearing that caused Goten to look back at Vegeta with wide eyes. Did that man just say what he thought he said? The young boy looked up to his father, then back to Trunks. "Mister Vegeta smokes!?"

"Yeah," Trunks answered. "He's been doing it for a while now."

"Really?" Goku asked. "I didn't even know that." He started to rub his head. "But, boy that sure does explain a lot."

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked.

"That might be why Vegeta lost," Goku answered. "I know I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but it's a common fact that cigarettes taints the lungs and slowly ruins it. If an individual continues to smoke overtime, they are also effectively doing damage to their longevity when it comes to physical events. Fighting is no exception."

"And that's why mom doesn't let me smoke," Trunks mumbled.

Goten overheard Trunks' comment and laughed. "My mom spanked me for even asking her what a cigarette is."

"Really?" Trunks asked.

"Yeah. But I had one in my hand so she probably thought I was smoking or something."

"Also!" Goku added. "Can't forget: it causes cancer, too. Cancer and other nasty diseases that you don't wanna die from."

"Yeah, even the commercials on T.V. say it can cause cancer and stuff," Goten said.

Trunks felt his alarm bells go off. He didn't show it everyday but he sure as hell loved his father perhaps even more than he loved himself. Trunks would be damned if he just let his mom or dad continue smoking. He didn't know about his grampa, though. Regardless, Vegeta could still be saved. "WAIT, DAD!" Trunks yelled out.

"Not a very good habit," Goku blurted out.

"Nope," Goten agreed. "If either of us started smoking, mom would kill the both of us before cancer ever could!"

Goku busted out laughing. While Goten's words was moreso a joke than anything else, he couldn't help but see some truth in it. To Goku this wasn't only hysterical, but intimidating as well. "Speaking of Chi-Chi, why don't we go home and see her? She's probably getting food ready!"

"Oh, yeah!" Goten shot off. "KINTO'UN!"

"Right behind ya!" Goku shouted from afar as he followed his son back home.

* * *

"...AND IT CAN KILL YOU!"

Vegeta, after having taken a shower, could be seen seated on the couch in the living room with a remote control in hand. Trunks knew that his father didn't care to be bothered with whenever he was relaxing but according to the young boy, it was urgent. Vegeta sat there and listened to Trunks as he gave him a lecture about smoking cigarettes and how it can do harm to the lungs.

If Vegeta weren't in a relaxed state, he would have already told his son to shut the hell up and leave so that he could enjoy his alone time. However, he just sat there and listened calmly, despite his patience being tested.

"So stop, please?"

Vegeta flicked some ashes into the ashtray nearby before slowly turning his head over to Trunks to divert his eyes from the television. "And who was the person to inform you on all this?"

"Uh…" Trunks scratched the back of his head. He didn't know just how his father would respond if he told him Goku said all this because he knew that his dad would merely use Son Goku as a reason to nullify these points. He thought about using Goten, but he's just like his dad.

"It was Kakarot, wasn't it?" Vegeta prodded.

"I-It was Goku...yeah."

Vegeta smacked his lips. He turned his head from Trunks and reached in to grab another cigarette. "Congratulations. You've just wasted my time, son." Vegeta lit the cig and continued to smoke as he watched the television.

"Dad, even the commercials for those things say that it causes cancer."

"Fake news," Vegeta shot back.

Trunks slumped his shoulders and shook his head in disappointment. The kid turned around and walked off. "Commercials aren't even news…" he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Yeah, those are foundational news!" Trunks recovered, chuckling nervously.

"Ahuh."

* * *

After a hard fight against Goku, Vegeta managed to get a nice rest that he felt very entitled to. Upon waking up and stretching himself nicely, the Saiyan rolled out of bed and got up, yawning.

Typically, the first thing on this Saiyan's mind after waking up from a long night's sleep would be food. However, for the past while now he could only bring himself to wondering just where the nearest cigarette was. Looking over ahead, he saw them on a counter that had a mirror attached to a board that was also fixated to said counter.

Vegeta walked over there to reach and get himself another cigarette. Just as his hands were within mere centimeters from making contact with the pack of cigs, Vegeta froze. Eyes looking at the mirror, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I-Is that…? What the hell!?"

This sudden noise shot Bulma right out of her sleep. The woman came out of the blankets, yelling and falling over onto the floor. She got right back up with an Uzi in hand that she retrieved from under their bed. "What's goin' on?"

"Bulma, come here!" Vegeta demanded.

"Huh?" Bulma got up and walked over by her husband, concerned for his well-being. Seldom did Vegeta wake up in a near panic, so for there to be something really getting to him at this time made her believe something was really wrong. "What's the matter?"

Vegeta grabbed Bulma by her hand and pulled her index finger out prior to having her finger rub up against his forehead. "What the hell is this line?"

Bulma's eyes narrowed. Did he seriously wake her up from her dreamland of strawberries for this? A damn wrinkle.

"It's a wrinkle, Vegeta."

"I know that," he huffed.

"THEN WHY IN THE HELL ARE YOU WORRIED!?" she shrieked.

"Because Saiyans don't get wrinkles this young," Vegeta growled. "What the hell is going on?" He was only nearing his fifties and he knew damn well that these features didn't come around for Saiyans until they began to near their late sixties and or mid seventies. He felt that only one thing could really factor into him having wrinkles this early on but he didn't want to make baseless assumptions. Also, a part of him was in denial. He did like his new little habit.

Bulma crossed her arms as she let out an exasperated sigh. "Vegeta, people who smoke cigarettes get wrinkles on their face. It depends on how often and how much you smoke. The more you do, the sooner they'll come. It's as simple as that."

"Are you kidding me? This was supposed to help me be in my own meditative state, not age me 25 years!"

"More like five years," Bulma joked. Vegeta stared daggers at her because of her words but she only snickered it off. "But that comes with the territory, Vegeta. Smoking isn't really like meditating, it just takes the edge off a bit—makes you feel better. In all reality, it doesn't do anything but kill you sooner."

"Like damaging the internal organs?" Vegeta questioned softly.

Bulma snapped her fingers. "Exactly! But people do it anyway because why the hell not? It feels good." She turned around, intentionally displaying her appealing voluptuous figure to her husband, in hopes of teasing him. "Besides, I know something else that can make us feel good." She bounced her ass up and down.

"Go get dressed." Vegeta completely ignored her signs for a rather eventful morning and just grabbed grabbed the cigarette packs on the counter so that he could hand them to her. "Throw them, burn them away, or flush them, I don't care. Just get them out of my sight!"

"Wait, are you serious, Vegeta?"

"Dead serious."

Bulma just took them all and tossed them on the bed. "If I give all these to my dad, he won't be bothering me for at least 2 days. I'll give them away instead." She started to head over to the bathroom with her shoulders slouched. "So much for fun time…" she mumbled, aggravated.

Vegeta sat there with his head lowered, taking in slow paces of breath. Now he realized just what the reason for him losing as he did against his rival just yesterday. Even though cigarettes helped him clear his mind, it only became a detriment to his body and his overall performance. He couldn't have that.

The Saiyan looked up at the mirror, eyes locked onto yours with a blank expression on his face. His stare puts you in a trance and you're left with no other choice but to look and listen. You see Vegeta slowly open his mouth, carefully waiting for the next words to come out. Just what could the Prince tell you, the reader, in this moment?

"Don't smoke, people."


End file.
